In Windham, Vermont, Paulie DiMeo and Pat “Tuffy” Bakaitis, co-owners of the Cabin Kings are Building Wild on a mountain peak. It’s not just any mountain or an ordinary cabin either. Tim Waker and his son Chris, who is a professional snowboarder, have purchased the abandoned Timber Ridge Ski Resort and they have big plans. On what is now not much more than 260 acres of steep-incline, the avid snowboarders want a party palace at the top of the world. Getting materials to the summit is going to be more than the average challenge and the Wakers are definitely not your average client. So there is no doubt that the sparks are going to fly and ride is going to be wild!

Spoiler Alert!

If you want to watch this episode and not ruin the surprise, stop reading now!

The Wakers bought the Timber Ridge Ski Resort in 2000 when land was inexpensive and no one wanted a ski lodge. Tim has worked hard his whole life, just scraping by, and hasn’t had as much time with his son as he’d have liked, but the lodge has changed that. Ever since, they have been snowmobiling and dirt biking on the property. But what they would really love is to have is a cabin at the top of the slope, but can the Cabin Kings get equipment up to the heights?

There is no question that the view is unparalleled and that Chris has big ideas about the build. However, Tuffy doesn’t like the risk of bringing the excavator to the top and he doesn’t want to be responsible for adding on snowboarding features. So they agree that the Wakers will find an expert for any features, the manpower, and the materials. Somehow, Tuffy will get the excavator and materials to the top.

Tuffy only has two trailers capable of transporting the lumber and halfway up the mountain, the first trailer loses its wheels. They have no choice but to drag the load up the rest of the way with a skip loader and now they are down to one trailer doing double time. At least the excavator makes it up.

On day three, the build is in progress. The crew uses the old pier that held the original lift to support the structure as well as a snowboarding ramp. Tuffy wants to concentrate on the cabin build, but of course, Paulie is already discussing other features. Paulie is imagining a “model” cabin that will ultimately mean more work, but the last thing Tuffy wants to build is a theme park. He just wants to finish the build on time, but figures the best way to save time is to just not argue… at least for now. They will argue about plenty later.

Hooter, a snowboard feature guru, works on building a drop down ramp that will attach to the deck of the cabin. Tuffy can’t for the life of him imagine why anyone would want to fly through the air with a board strapped to his feet, but he pitches in to help Hooter pre-fabricate the pieces they need.

Meanwhile, the Wakers haul a dozen beer kegs they find in a shed up the hill in their ATV, or at least they try. They may know how to use a keg, but they aren’t very good at strapping them in and transporting them. For the record, masking tape probably isn’t the most effective means of securing a load.

On day five, there is still a great deal of work to do. The father and son team don’t want to leave, but get sent down the hill with the task of building a snowboard chandelier while the build wraps up. Hooter finishes the ramp and they test out the trajectory with a beer keg. Even without snow, it looks like the ramp is a go. A quick coat of paint, a few finishing touches inside and out and then the Wakers are called up to check out paradise.

Using bits and pieces from the old lodge below, including a map of the mountain, a stove, a bar, and some ingenuous uses of the leftover beer kegs the party palace is fully decked out. Looking over photos of the good times past on the wall, the father and son team both tear up a bit. All Tim has ever wanted is be able to spend more time with his son. The two have made some great memories on the build and can look forward making many more memories. In fact, a few weeks later, they have snow and the party begins!

Clients need the Cabin Kings’ expertise, ideas, and problem-solving ingenuity to make their dreams come true. Throughout this season however, one thing has been clear: the clients get a lot more out of the build that just a finished cabin. These are experiences to treasure for a lifetime!

Comments

Steev

Brentwood, TN

March 22, 2014, 11:26 pm

Did anyone notice the father on this episodes yellow teeth? At the recap when they tried out the ramp, you can notice he had them whitened. Maybe he saw how bad they looked before filming the try out. Ha!

Paul Peluchette

Rutland, VT

February 24, 2015, 2:43 pm

We have 10 acres of of the grid land and would like to talk to you about building wild!